


Thin Walls

by MrsMusicAddict



Series: Reddie Random Prompt Fics [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, Neighbors, Richie is a good neighbor, Richie to the rescue, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, and lonely, angst-y-ish?, eddie is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-25 01:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21348247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsMusicAddict/pseuds/MrsMusicAddict
Summary: "We live in adjacent apartments and our bedrooms are on opposite sides of a very thin wall and one night I heard you crying and talked to you through the wall."Richie hears his new neighbor crying in the middle of the night and feels compelled to help.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: Reddie Random Prompt Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538983
Comments: 9
Kudos: 281





	Thin Walls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AtomicVortex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtomicVortex/gifts).

> It's NaNo and my planned story isn't happening due to lack of everything, so I decided to look up a bunch of prompts and write for at least 30 minutes for each of them, chosen randomly. This is the first one!

Richie pulled out his headphones to give his ears a bit of a rest before continuing with the next episode. He was about to pick up his phone when a sound from behind made him still. There was only a wall behind him, but the walls were so thin it could only be coming from the apartment adjacent to his.

His new neighbor was crying.

Richie felt a bit uncomfortable and decided to ignore it. He put in his headphones again and pressed play as he scrolled through his Instagram on his phone.

The sound kept nagging at him however, and after five minutes he paused the episode and listened again. His neighbor was still crying and before Richie knew what he was doing he had knocked softly on the wall.

“Hey man, you alright?"

Silence. Then a voice. An annoyed voice.

“Do I sound alright?”

Richie closed his eyes and grimaced.

“Yeah, that was dumb. I'm sorry.”

More silence.

“If this is too inappropriate or whatever I'll back off, but if you want to talk I'm here. I know we don't know each other, but...” Richie trailed off.

“They didn't tell me the walls were so thin,” his neighbor replied, his voice wavering.

Richie laughed. “Yeah, they don't tell you that unless you ask specifically.”

“Why would anyone ask?” Richie could hear the puzzlement.

“I dunno. Perhaps they like having rough sex or killing people in their apartments and they don't want anyone to hear.”

A sound that may have been a snort reached Richie and he sighed in relief.

“I'm sorry if I'm keeping you up, I can go into the-”

“No, no!” Richie cut him off. “I was still awake, winding down from the day. You're good. Besides, it's your bedroom, you're allowed to let go in there. If it was truly bothering me I could have left my own room or kept my headphones in. I still can if that would make you feel more comfortable. I'd totally get it if you wanted some privacy.”

Another silence greeted him and Richie found he was holding his breath.

“It's my mom,” the voice eventually said with a sigh.

_Oh shit._ “Did she-?”

“Die?” his neighbor let out a short, loud laugh. “No, but I wish she had.”

Richie raised his eyebrows, but before he could say something, his neighbor groaned.

“I'm a terrible person for thinking that. She's my mother. You must think me insane.”

“Not at all,” Richie reassured him. “When my mother died I didn't even go to her funeral. Her death was a huge relief for me. Family isn't always all it's cracked up to be.”

“You can say that again,” the other man mumbled. “If only my feelings would get the memo.”

“It's hard to let go of the whole 'love your family always' notion, especially when it's all you've ever known. It wasn't until I met my best friend that I realized what love and respect actually entailed, and that I was right for leaving my parents behind.” Richie paused. “So what happened?”

“I went home for her birthday. I didn't want to, but she guilt tripped me into it.”

Richie hummed in acknowledgement.

“I wasn't supposed to be home until tomorrow night. I think that tells you all you need to know about how well it went.”

Richie chuckled. “I can take an educated guess.”

“She kept trying to convince me to move back home. Kept talking about all the ways I could die here, and that if I got sick she wouldn't be there to help me.”

“Wow,” Richie whistled. “That's...”

“Fucked up, I know,” came the prompt reply. “I'm a hypochondriac because of her, though I am trying to be better. I spent almost my whole childhood thinking I was asthmatic, only to find out what I was spraying down my throat was glorified water. I still carry an aspirator with me at all times to this day. It helps with the panic attacks, though it always makes me feel like shit when I use it. As if I've failed, as if she won.” The man sighed. “I got out of there after she tried to take me to the hospital for a mole on my face. I yelled at her, again, and she's been nonstop calling me since. I had to turn off my phone. I feel awful. Why can't I stop feeling guilty!?” A sob followed and Richie felt his heart sinking.

“Because she's a manipulative emotionally abusive bitch, that's why.”

Richie could feel the shock reverberating through the thin wall.

“Sorry to be so blunt, man, but she's got you all kinds of fucked up and you still feel guilty for trying to protect yourself. You need to know it's okay to do that. To choose yourself. Because you don't deserve shit like this.”

“You don't even know her, or me, for that matter.” The voice sounded defensive.

“Maybe so,” Richie said, shrugging, “but I got plenty from you about her and I don't have to know you to know you don't deserve this shit. No one does.”

“So what do you suggest I do?”

Richie smiled at the bitterness and anger so clear in those words.

“Whatever it is you _want_ to do,” Richie said simply. “Not should. Want.”

“I'm not sure I can,” the man sounded miserable again, all fight gone.

“It'll be hard. You might want to ask a friend to help you stay strong.”

Something too muffled to understand came back to him so Richie asked for him to repeat what he'd just said.

“I don't have any friends. Not really. The only one I have lives across the country so he won't be able to help much.”

Now Richie was the one to stay silent for a moment. Then he took his laptop of his lap and got up from his bed. As he was leaving his room he could hear his neighbor calling out to him.

“Are you still there?”

* * *

Eddie had stopped crying and was now chiding himself for saying that to a complete stranger. He must think I'm insane, some freak. A loser. Fucking typical.

His train of thought into self hatred was interrupted by a knock on his door.

Frowning he checked his watch. 2am. Just like he'd thought.

The knock came again and slowly, hesitantly, Eddie got up to cross his apartment to the door. Perhaps his mother had been right about not having a peephole in his door being a bad idea. He hated that.

Another knock and Eddie's fear turned into irritation. He took a breath and opened his door a crack, so he could see who was on the other side. He didn't want to get killed because he threw open the door in annoyance.

What he saw was the last thing he expected. He let the door fall open further slowly as he took in the tall man before him. The man had messy curls and wore thickly rimmed glasses, accentuating his deep brown eyes. He was wearing sweatpants and a tattered band shirt.

He was beautiful.

“I'll be your friend,” the man said, pulling Eddie out of his reverie.

“What?” he stuttered out, confused.

“You said you didn't really have any friends.” The man shrugged. “I'll be your friend. If you want me to, of course, if not I also totally get it I mean this is all very weird but I thought I should at least offer because what is life without friends especially when you have no family to fall back on-”

The man rambled on as Eddie realized this was the man he had been talking to through the wall just now. He had come over to ask to be his friend. Eddie felt his eyes tear up and try as he might to stop the tears from falling, because seriously he was not a child anymore, the tears fell anyway.

The man noticed and before Eddie knew it the tall man had closed the distance and had wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight. Eddie couldn't remember the time he had last felt so safe, which was ridiculous on so many levels.

“I don't even know your name,” Eddie managed to choke out against the other man's shoulder.

The man pulled away immediately, facepalming, and Eddie mourned the warmth instantly.

“I'm Richie,” the man, _Richie_, said as he held out a hand.

“I'm Eddie."

“Nice to meet you, Eddie,” Richie said, a grin spreading across his face, and while Eddie knew this was _not the time_ he could already tell he was fucked. It was probably just because Richie was the first person to show him kindness, but he could feel his heart speed up all the same.

“Do you want to come in? I could use a cup of tea right about now.” Eddie fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, but Richie smiled and nodded.

“I'd love that.

* * *

**2 years later**

As they walked back home, Eddie could not believe his luck. In two years' time he hadn't just gained a friend, a _best_ friend, he had found himself a whole group of friends. His own little family. He had been falling for Richie ever since that first day, but it took him a long time to believe that it wasn't some kind of hero complex and that it really _was_ real. Beverly especially had helped him with that, though Eddie knew she was looking out for Richie as much as she was for Eddie.

Tomorrow they would have been dating for a year, and they were basically moved in together. Richie still kept his apartment for all of his stuff and they were looking for a new place together to move to as soon as Richie's lease was up.

The evening had been spent together with their friends to celebrate the joyous occasion the day after. Eddie smiled and burrowed closer to Richie, who had his arm wrapped around his shoulders as they walked, tucking Eddie into his side. Riche dropped a kiss on his head and Eddie's heart felt so full he expected it to burst any second.

As they made their way up the stairs, Richie spoke up.

“I have to get some stuff from my place, but I'll be with you in a bit. How about you get ready for bed?”

Eddie frowned a bit, but shrugged. “Sure.”

Richie smiled softly and kissed him deeply. Eddie could feel it tingle all the way down to his toes.

“I love you,” Richie mumbled against his lips and Eddie smiled.

“I love you, too, asshole. Now hurry up. I want you in bed, naked, asap.”

Richie's lips pulled into a smirk and his eyes darkened, glittering mischievously.

“Yes, sir.”

Eddie rolled his eyes but he could barely repress his smile as he walked over to his door to unlock it. They looked at each other before Richie went inside and disappeared from view. Eddie made his way into his own, practically their, apartment, and left the door on the latch for Richie.

He moved straight into the bedroom, stretching as he went. He was tired, but excitement thrummed through his body and he couldn't wait for Richie to get back. As he was pulling off his jacket he heard a knock on the wall.

“Eds, you there?”

He shook his head fondly at Richie's antics. He talked to him through the wall often and Eddie couldn't deny it always made him smile.

“Yeah, I'm here. If you forgot what you went over there for, I can't help you.”

He heard Richie's laugh.

“Nah, not this time.”

“Then what is it?”

“I was just wondering something.”

Eddie narrowed his eyes, suspicious. Richie wondering things was hardly ever a good thing.

“Oh God.”

Richie laughed again and his mirth was infectious.

“It's nothing like that, I promise.”

“Richie...” Eddie warned, rolling his eyes. He loved Richie, but he could take forever to say what he wanted to say. Easily distracted and all that.

“Right, right.” A beat of silence. Eddie glanced over at the wall. He thought he had heard a trace of nerves in there, and his suspicions came back in full force. He was about to open his mouth to tell Richie he wasn't gonna wait all night, when Richie spoke up again and made everything in the world stop.

“Will you marry me?”

Eddie's heart finally burst.

“Get your ass over here so I can say yes to your face, you idiot.”

Eddie swore he could _hear_ Richie's grin.


End file.
